The stoppage has brought all work on the stadium to a halt,†Brazilian news website G1 reports.

The G1 report cited a labor union representing construction workers as saying the stadiumís estimated 1,800 workers walked off the job early Monday to protest safety conditions and what they described as pressure to speed up the project. Amazonas state government officials have denied applying pressure to accelerate the work.

The work stoppage follows a Sunday decision by a Manaus court that froze work in all areas where laborers need to be high above the ground.